Thursday, May 31, 2012

What Kind of Couscous?

When I first began catering
regularly, I kept things pretty simple and relied on a few tried and true
recipes.Now that I’ve developed a
little ‘system’, I’m starting to branch out more in terms of trying new
recipes.Some have worked better than
others (I generally judge the level of success by how much, or little, is left
over), but there have definitely been some hands down favorites, especially in
the area of sides.

My approach has been
to put myself in the shoes of the people I’m feeding.I know when I walk up to a buffet line and
see yet another tray of cold cuts with the obligatory potato salad alongside, I
want to stifle a yawn.So especially
when it comes to side salads, I want to offer something a bit more enticing.

I had a number of people
comment about this salad after the last lunch I did.Several wanted to know what type of pasta it
was (“I thought it was some kind of couscous, but I’ve never seen it that big
before”, “Was that what’s-it-called??Kwin-Oh-Ah??”).Most just
commented on how tasty it was.

As an added bonus, I
reserved about half of the dressing I made for this and used it as a marinade
for chicken thighs, which I grilled and put on skewers.

And the crowd went
wild.

Greco Israeli Couscous
Salad

Dressing:

1/2 cup light olive
oil

1/4 cup canola oil

2 - 3 Tbs fresh squeezed
lemon juice

1 tsp dried ground oregano

3 cloves fresh garlic,
mashed into a paste with 1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp finely chopped
fresh mint

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp fresh ground
black pepper

Place all ingredients
in a glass jar. Cover and shake well.Or, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until emulsified.

Salad:

3 cups water

1 ½ cups dry Israeli
Couscous

¼ tsp salt

1 cup Chinese snow
peas

½ medium English
cucumber, cubed

½ cup sliced green
onions

1 tsp lemon zest

¼ cup chopped fresh
basil

1 tsp finely chopped
fresh rosemary

¼ - ½ cup Dressing (to
taste)

½ cup crumbled feta
cheese

In a medium saucepan,
bring the water to a boil. Add salt and
the couscous. Stir and reduce heat to a
simmer. Simmer until couscous is just tender,
about 10 minutes.Drain into a fine mesh
strainer and rinse with cold water. Set
aside.

Combine remaining
ingredients, except for dressing, in a large bowl.Add the cooled couscous and stir to
combine.Add ¼ cup of the dressing and
toss.Add more dressing if needed.Season with more salt and pepper if needed.

** To make ahead of
time, make dressing and store separately.Combine all salad ingredients, except for the feta and basil.Just before serving, add the feta, basil and
dressing.Toss to combine.

About Me

No journeys of self-discovery here. I pretty much know who I am. No-nonsense (and sometimes brutally honest), I believe in eking everything I can out of this existence.
I’m a hard-core multi-tasker. The word ‘serene’ would never be used to describe me.
I love to create. And whether it’s a character, a painting, or a four-course meal, I pour myself into everything I do.
Welcome to my little corner of the world.
Curtain up.